A New Age
by LLDreamer445
Summary: The original sisterhood members have come and gone leaving the pants for someone to stumble upon.
1. Hello Again

**SOTTP: A New Age**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the sisterhood.**

**Chapter 1- Hello Again**

Eras had passed since the last adventure of the Traveling Pants. Shuffled away somewhere forgotten, they lay bursting with their magic, searching for lives to change.

"I wonder what's up there," Hayden said as she pointed up a dark stairway.

"I don't know, but let's get out of here," said the more fearful of the three girls, Lauren.

Lauren's words were not quick enough to stop the over-curious Hayden from groping her way up the passageway.

Amber quickly followed and added, "Come on you wuss."

The three girls slowly made their way through a door that was shorter than it should have been and into a spider web infested room.

"Please, can we just go. This place is full of junk." said Lauren as her two friends were going through the piles of weird objects.

"She's right, I'm bored already," agreed Hayden.

"Wait!" Amber slowly opened a old trunk in a far corner. "Look at this, it's a pair of jeans…" she trailed off.

"I didn't even know people wore jeans back then." stated Hayden while looking into the trunk at a picture of four young girls probably back in the 10's.

"Why is there writing all over them?" asked Lauren.

"I don't know." Amber held out the jeans and tilted her head. She slowly rotated them to read the inscriptions until they were completely upside down.

"Look something fell out." Lauren stooped down to pick up a ragged piece of paper up of the dusty floor.

"Ha ha. I wonder who Kostos was." Hayden completely ignored Lauren.

"You guys! Look it's some kind of rules!" Lauren shoved the paper, now unfolded, in their faces.

"No picking your nose? That's immature." Hayden looked at the list puzzled.

"It says something at the top, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants? I read something about how friends used to make up these 'sisterhoods'. Wouldn't it be cool if we had a sisterhood? I wonder if these were the Traveling Pants." Amber held up the jeans again.

Lauren walked around Amber to the old trunk. She dug through it and pulled an envelope out. She listened to her friends gab on about what their sisterhood would be like. She knew they weren't paying attention to her. She open the envelope.

"You guys…YOU GUYS!"

"WHAT!" Hayden and Amber said together.

"You want a sisterhood? Read this," Lauren said with a confidence that intrigued her friends.

" If you're reading this letter," Hayden began," the sisterhood is yours. Share the pants. The pants equal love. Take these jeans, and have fun. Sincerely, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. P.S. Read the rules folded in the pocket." Hayden stared at the letter. "This is a little freaky."

"What?" Amber snatched the letter from Hayden.

"Don't you guys get it? We are supposed to take the pants and allow the sisterhood to live on. Look at the bottom of the rules it says to document our adventures on the pants. That's what all that writing is. The original members wrote that."

The three girls look at the pants again.

"You don't think we are really supposed to take the pants?" Amber looked at Lauren like she had just asked her to walk to the moon.

"Why not? It doesn't look like anyone is using them."

"I wonder what else is in that trunk." Hayden was off subject as usual.

"Let's just take it with us." Lauren headed for the door. "This place still freaks me out."

So the three girls, trunk and all, made their way home. It was the beginning of their story.


	2. Just Like Us

**Chapter 2-Just Like Us**

The girls arrived home with excitement and light hearts. Hayden, her usual self, was practically bouncing off the walls. Lauren was obviously thinking, because she hadn't said anything since they left the deserted house. As soon as Amber walked in she opened the trunk again.

"What is all this junk?" Amber pulled out an old white t-shirt. Pulling out the tag she saw that it was marked with a name. "Hey look Hayden, it's your friend, Kostos." she handed the shirt to her.

"Why in the world would someone keep a nasty guinea pig cage?" Lauren held it up awkwardly by the wires.

"I guess this was the Sisterhood." Hayden held a frame. She ran her finger, sweeping off the dust, where you could make out four faces. The first on the left was a average looking girl except for her blue highlights and piercings. Next was a dark headed girl with a baggy shirt on and loafers. After her was the tallest of the four with brilliant blonde hair and an athletic build. Last was a much shorter, heavier girl who appeared to be Mexican.

"It must be, 'cause look, she's holding The Pants." Lauren pointed to the Mexican girl.

"The rest of what's in the trunk its just a bunch of junk, there's a soccer ball, some letters, a sketch book, a name tag from Wallman's, not much else."

"That's it?" Hayden looked to see for her self.

" I wonder if this sisterhood made a secret website or something." Lauren said, apparently not talking to anyone but herself. She walked over to the computer and began frantically typing.

"Found it!" Amber and Hayden rushed over. " I knew they wouldn't leave us with one little letter and a trunk of stuff explaining absolutely nothing."

Hayden studied the screen. "It's some sort of archive. Look they are all titled the same as the entries on The Pants." She brought The Pants over to them. "I want to know who Kostos was."

Lauren scrolled down and clicked the one titled "Kostos' arms." A window came up with a picture of a dark, handsome man in front of a beech with crystal waters. "Greece," Hayden murmured. She had been there a few summers back. Below it talked about Kostos. Apparently it was part of a girl named Lena Kaligaris' story.

"There was a girl in the picture that looked like she could have been Greek." said Amber who had been quiet until now.

"Moving on, this looks important," Lauren pointed to a hand-embroidered patch that read "Bailey Was Here."

The three girls quietly read the screen until Amber noticed the look on Lauren's face. "Sounds like you and Tibby have a lot in common." Lauren had a little sister named Taja. Taja died of leukemia nearly a year back.

"Yeah," she replied, pushing her frown back into her face. She didn't like to show people her emotions.

"Maybe we should stop for today," said Hayden who was noticeably uncomfortable. "We have plenty to talk about as it is."

"My dad called today," Amber tried to change the subject.

"What'd he say?" Lauren asked, letting Amber know she had succeeded.

"Well, he wants to come see me. I guess it's a good thing." Amber wasn't close to her father because her mother died when she was younger and her grandparents had custody of her.

"Yeah Amburger, that's great," Hayden jumped in, softly touching her hair.

"I don't know though," her eyes questioning," he always has another reason. He probably wants money or something."

"Who wants pizza?" Hayden jumped up. There never seemed to be a good subject. She called the delivery place and reported back, "It'll be here in thirty minutes. I have to take a shower, so get the door when it's here."

The two remaining girls sat in silence for a minute until Lauren broke in, "I can't believe this is happening."

"I know, it's crazy. I mean it's actually real…"

" I know, and what are the chances we would find them?"

" I don't know, but who gets them first?" the question had obviously been on Amber's mind.

" Um, I guess whoever needs them first. Maybe you, if your dad actually comes."

"Yeah, like that's going to happe…" she was cut short by the door bell ringing.

"Pizza!" Lauren bounced up and ran for the door.

"You're such a pig!" Amber yelled trailing after her laughing.

For the rest of the night the girls sat up talking and eating their weight in pizza. Their anticipation increased because they each knew their adventures would soon begin.


	3. Is It Possible?

**Chapter 3-Is it Possible?**

"Hey!" Hayden awoke to the sound of Lauren clicking away on the computer. "No fair."

"I couldn't sleep." Lauren said with her attention still devoted to the screen. " Did you know the sisterhood members were all different sizes and the jeans still fit them all?"

"No, but have u stopped to think we aren't exactly the same either. How are they going to fit all of us?"

"Magic." Lauren said like it was obvious.

Hayden chuckled, "I won't believe it until I see it."

"Ok," Lauren got up and shook Amber awake.

"I want more cheese!" Amber said half in a dream.

Lauren and Hayden tried not to laugh loud enough to wake her up to see what else she'd say.

"Did I just say 'I want more cheese'?" Amber sat up with her frizzy, dark hair flying in all directions.

"You always were a deep sleeper," Lauren said trying to hold her giggling under her breath.

"Ok, back on subject," Hayden started," We need to try the jeans on. I mean how are they going to fit us all?" She looked at the shorter Lauren with the biggest butt. And then over to Amber with more belly than Lauren and no butt. Finally down at her own body, more average than the others and a little taller.

"And this couldn't wait?" asked the still groggy Amber.

"Just try them on so you can go back to sleep," Hayden threw the pants at her.

Amber slipped on the jeans, " What? Do they sag in the butt or something?" Lauren and Hayden stared at her astonished.

"No! You look like you actually have a butt!" Hayden said with her already large eyes looking like they were going to pop out of her head.

"Me next!" Lauren urged her to take them off.

Lauren pulled the jeans up awkwardly with her crossed fingers. She opened her eyes and looked down. "Hey, the only jeans I don't need to hem." Turning around she saw her friends faces.

Hayden ran up and hugged her. " You look awesome! I'm starting to believe you." She turned around to see Amber with her jaw still dropped. "Ok, hurry up. My turn!"

Hayden slowly pulled them up. "How is it possible they are not too long for Lauren and not too short for me?"

"And how do they make you look like a super model!" the now awake Amber said as more of a statement.

"Ok so now do you believe me?" Lauren looked pleadingly at Hayden.

"The Pants have officially chosen us!" Hayden gave Lauren the best reply she knew how.

Now with more excitement than ever they began a new age of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.


	4. The First Time

**Chapter 4-The First Time**

"We've decided." announced Hayden.

"Decided what?" Lauren paused from packing her duffle bag.

"You get The Pants first." concluded Amber. She tossed The Pants to her.

"What?" Lauren looked at The Pants in her arms. "But what about Amber's dad coming in?"

"He won't be here until next week, which gives someone one week with them." Hayden explained.

"When did you find that out?" Lauren burned the question at Amber.

Amber stared at the floor, "He called last night. We wanted to surprise you."

Lauren ran her finger over the embroidered patch. She sat silent like she wanted to refuse The Pants, but knew she couldn't. She folded them neatly and softly lay them in the top of her duffle bag as if they would be easily crushed. "Why me?" she said slowly looking up from the bag.

"Hey, you got us into this didn't you?" Hayden joked, but quickly saw Lauren wasn't laughing.

"You act like this is a burden." Amber pointed out the feeling she had tried to hide.

Lauren shifted her bright blue eyes. A single tear fell. She quickly dropped her gaze to the floor.

"Lolli," Hayden sympathized, "what's wrong?"

"I can't." Lauren breathed in a sharp breath. It was too much. Everything she had been hiding was more than she could hold in. "Taja." she barely whispered under her whimpers. She tried to calm herself back down.

Amber held Lauren's face in her palms, "Running away from this is not going to change it." Her eyes captured Lauren's. "You have never let yourself feel that pain." She jerked her face away.

"I'm fine." Lauren dismissed her feelings, but from the looks of her friends faces she knew they didn't believe her. "I'm fine." she repeated.

The girls walked down the stairs to wait for Amber and Lauren's moms to pick them up. No one dared to speak. They sat looking out the window, waiting for someone to say something.

"You're right." Lauren said simply. Amber and Hayden just stared. "I haven't let myself feel it." she continued. "I'm going to find a way and maybe The Pants can help me." She didn't give them time to respond. She just opened the door and walked away.

Lauren pulled on The Pants again, this time seeing herself in the mirror. _Wow_ she thought _my mom will never let me wear these. _She let out a sigh like she knew what came next. She went over to her desk and pulled a diary out of the drawer. She opened to a book-marked page:

Dear Diary,

Today Taja died. Today I hate doctors, because they could not help my ten-year old little sister. Today I want to cry, but I don't because then she will really be gone. I want to go in her room and lay on her bed, but I shut the door instead. I wrote Taja a song on my guitar. I wonder if she can hear me play it from heaven, and know it was for her. I wonder if she can see my tears on the inside. Today I saw Taja lying in a hospital bed, but she wasn't breathing. Her eyes had blue circles around them and her mouth drooped in the corners. Today I forgot who Taja was and never wanted to think of her again.

She slammed the diary shut and let herself cry for the first time. She let her tears fall on The Pants. She let them soak into the fabric. She cried herself to sleep and nightmares of her sister's death no longer haunted her, but dreams of her sister's life allowed her to live on in her heart.


	5. Tips

**Chapter 5-Tips**

The next morning Lauren woke up with her eyes swollen shut and her hair stuck to her face.

"Now I remember why I hate crying," she muttered to herself. She started to sit up but she noticed an unfamiliar shadow on her wall. She quickly spun her head around to see who or what was there.

"Hey sleepy head." Hayden smiled innocently.

"You almost made me pee in my pants!" Lauren crawled off the bed.

"Why?" she brushed it off like she hadn't done it on purpose.

"Never mind. Wait, why are you even here?"

"Umm…" Hayden stalled. "I thought we could go somewhere."

"Like where?" Lauren replied with more emphasis than she intended.

"Ok, you're going to freak!"

"What? Why?" she looked excitedly at Hayden.

Hayden bit her lip to keep her from bursting. "I got Amber an audition!"

It wasn't a secret that Amber wanted to be a actress. She had always had a passion for it. The only problem was, she wasn't determined that she was good enough, she just sat around complaining that she'd never make it.

"Oh my gosh!" Lauren grabbed Hayden's hands and proceeded to jump up and down. She stopped. "That means she going to need The Pants!" Lauren quickly pulled them off and slid on a pair of sweats off the floor. "Let's go!"

Hayden laughed at the energy of her friend and headed toward the door.

"Grandma can you get the door?" Amber yelled impatiently as the door bell rang for the third time. "Grandma! Fine I'll just get it!"

Amber opened the door and was grabbed and dragged off before she could shut it back.

"What are you guys doing?" Amber struggled out of their grip.

Hayden and Lauren just looked at each other and back at Amber while holding their faces in a way that looked like swollen strawberries. Lauren let the air she was holding in bust out. "I got you an audition!" Hayden screamed for the whole neighborhood to hear.

Amber went blank. She didn't speak, smile, move, or scarcely even breath.

"Hello?" Lauren waved her hand in Amber's face. "She said she got you an audition."

Amber gasped. "That was real?"

Hayden let out a squeal .

"I-I have to change! What do I wear? Where is it? What time? How did you--" Amber's thoughts frantically escaped her.

"Wear The Pants," Lauren pulled them from behind her back where they had been under the back of her shirt. She held them out for her to take.

"But you're weeks not up," Amber looked at her eyes instead of The Pants.

"And you need them, I'm done," she replied never looking up to meet her gaze.

Instead of resisting, she gave in. She took the pants from Lauren and held them too her chest. "Thanks."

"Tow-thirty-two," an old woman with bright pink lip stick and bleached hair said almost robotically.

"That's you!" Hayden shook Amber back into reality.

"Good Luck."

Amber walked over to the desk, her eyes glazed with fear. "That's me."

"First audition?" the old woman read her face.

"Y-Yeah. I mean yes ma'am."

"Don't be nervous. They like fresh kids. Just act like you own the place." the woman gave her a warm smile.

"Thanks." the fear faded from her face.

"Go on back, they're ready for you, Sugar." she pointed to a door down the hall.

Amber gave her friends a quick smile and made her way to the door.

"I hope she does good." Lauren nervously picked up a magazine.

Minutes passed and Lauren had flipped her way through seven magazines before Amber reappeared with a smile.

"So?" Hayden practically spat the question.

"I think they liked me." Amber's smile didn't fade.

"Yay, so do you just wait for a call-back?" Lauren got to the point.

"Yeah," Amber looked around not focusing her attention. "I'm just going to go say 'Thanks' to that old lady again." she said as she started back towards her desk.

When she came back she informed the two girls that her name was Terri and she had been acting for years. She went on and on about the woman and the audition until they finally had to tune her out.

The girls finally headed in their separate directions and waited for the next day to come so they could find what new adventures would be waiting for them.


	6. Salsa

**Chapter 6-Salsa**

Amber's dad arrived on the 8:00 flight from Los Angeles. Amber brought him to the girls favorite restaurant, Loco Lupe's, so he could see her friends again.

"Wow, you girls have grown," he said as his favorite line with his fake grin. "Look at you, Hayden. When did you put red streaks in your hair?"

"I got tired of blonde," retorted Hayden.

"And Lauren, you haven't changed except for that you're almost as tall as me now."

Hayden smirked at Lauren, "And to think I've been taller than him since seventh grade." She liked to pick on Lauren for her height.

"So, what's good here?" Steve looked at the Mexican menu in Spanish puzzled.

"You should try the enchiladas."

They were soon approached by the waiter, who had a hard time understanding their English. Lauren made a huge mess trying to explain to him that she wanted cheese sauce on her enchiladas instead of the tomato sauce. Things got even worse when Hayden changed her order and made him bring her another drink, because he gave her regular Coke instead of Diet. Finally their meals arrived.

"This is good." Steve said pointlessly, because he had already cleaned his plate. He leaned back and gave a sigh of satisfaction.

"How long are you staying, Dad?"

"Umm…I was going to wait to tell you but I'm staying here. I'm having my stuff sent over. I bought a house on the other side of town."

Amber dropped her fork at her surprise, and when she bent down to pick it up, banged her head on the table. Lauren sat staring with her mouth open as her rice slowly dropped out. Hayden drank the rest of her drink in a period of a few seconds.

"Well, what do you think?"

"U-uh, that's great Dad." Amber held her hand on her head where it began to swell.

Lauren finally breathed in and choked on the little rice left in her mouth. Hayden continued to try and drink her ice, but all that happened was a loud slurping sound.

"Come on, I'll take you girls home."

The girls stood up slowly and just looked at each other.

Amber looked down remembering she was wearing The Pants. "Crap, I got salsa on them."

The girls went to the bathroom to try and get it out before it stained.

"Do you think this is against the rules?" Hayden scrubbed The Pants with a wet paper towel.

"I can't believe he's staying." Amber looked in the mirror.

"I don't think it's against the rules, we aren't technically washing them." Lauren ignored Amber. She didn't know what to say, and by the look on her face, neither did Hayden.

"Ok, all better. Let's go." Hayden got off her knees and walked out with the other two following behind her.

Steve dropped the two girls off at Lauren's house. Hayden's parents where out of town, so she was staying with them for the week end.

"What did she say that woman's name was at the audition?" Hayden said randomly on their way up the sidewalk.

"Terri Vreeland, I think."


	7. Coincidence or Fate?

**Chapter 7**

Amber came by the next day to give Hayden The Pants. Her week was up. She couldn't stay because she had plans with her dad. The girls were soon alone again.

"So, what are you going to do with your first day with The Pants?"

"We need to find that woman."

"Not exactly the answer I expected. Why are you so interested all of the sudden? Amber drove us crazy the other day just talking about her, and now you want to find her?"

"You'll see." Lauren knew she knew something she didn't.

The girls tried the place where Amber had first had her audition, but it was closed on weekends. They searched the phone books, but there were no Vreeland's.

"Are you sure it was Vreeland," Hayden asked impatiently, skimming through the phone book for the fourth time.

"Yes, Amber said she used to be an actress. Maybe she kept her maiden name when she got married, so she would probably be listed with her husband who wouldn't have the same last name."

"Why do you have to make me look so stupid?"

"Just my job," Lauren smiled.

"How are we going to find her?"

"Call me crazy, but isn't that her over in the market?" Lauren pointed across the street.

"This is freaky."

The girls hurried across the street and plowed through the door. In the process, Lauren knocked over a pyramid of macaroni. Lauren stopped to pick it back up as Hayden hurried on. By the time Lauren caught up Hayden was in mid-sentence.

"Are you the woman from the auditions," she asked out of breath.

"Yes." Terri looked horrified.

"Terri Vreeland?"

"Yes, who are you."

"We are friends of a girl that went to an audition you were at almost a week ago."

Terri looked at Lauren. "Oh, I remember, you're the girl that read seven magazines." Lauren blushed and nodded. "Did you need something?"

"Are you related to Bridget Vreeland?"

"Yes, she was my mother. Why?"

"Did she ever say anything about The Traveling Pants?"

"How do you know about those?" The woman pressed her pink lips together.

"We sort of…found them," Lauren spoke up.

"Can you tell us what you know?" Hayden looked pleadingly at Terri.

"Everything," she answered with a sly look in her eyes.


	8. The Familyhood

**Chapter 8: The Familyhood**

"The Sisterhood was like a huge family. We stuck together. I guess you would say, it wasn't really much of a sisterhood after they each got married and had children. I always called it the Familyhood. It was like growing up with lots of brothers, sisters, moms, and dads. We shared each other. The big house you found the pants in, that's where I grew up. We all did. Lena had two twin girls and a son. Carmen," she chuckled," had more kids than I can count. And of course, Tibby had a daughter she named Bailey. I had three annoying brothers. We all lived in that big old house. I guess we left the pants. I'm glad you girls found them. "

"We are too." Lauren looked at Hayden.

"Good luck with them." the look in the old woman's face appeared again.

They left the restaurant with more understanding of the Sisterhood than they could have expected. The girls walked in the cold in silence.

"I just remembered. My mom told me to pick up milk. See you later." Hayden quickly turned the other direction toward a small market.

"Bye." Lauren replied.


	9. Dirty

**Chapter 9: Dirty**

She stumbled her way up the stairs, wide eyed and shaking. Robotically, she opened her door and collapsed on her bed. Her eyes burned, still unblinking. Quickly she bolted up and ran for the bathroom, only to empty her insides into the toilet. She washed her face, avoiding her image in the mirror. She failed. The red and blonde streaks made her feel sick again. Her eyes were blood shot, her lip quivering. Nothing could be this painful. Nothing more shameful. Dirty, that's how she felt. Dirty it was. The word 'rape' was so vile, she could hardly bare it. Amber was right, her father had another reason. He stole her innocence. He stole her strength. Nothing could make it go away.

The smell of spoiled milk filled Hayden's room when she awoke. She was sore to say the least. She was broken.

"I have to get out of here."

She stepped out side in her pajamas and walked where her feet led her. She came to the park. She sat down on a bench and cried. She sat for what seemed like hours. She unsteadily stood to walk again. Coming up to a small duck pond. She looked at her pitiful reflection. She hated it, but most of all she hated her red and blonde hair. Throwing a rock into the pond, she watched the ripples fade herself away. She ran for the little market. She bought black hair dye. She walked out just the way she had last night. She looked at the spot where she was grabbed and dragged behind the dumpsters by Amber's father. She shuddered and ran away from the thought.

An hour later the sickening red and blonde streaks were gone. Her new reflection revealed a black mess and eyes in between a dark lining. She new what her friends would say. She knew they would suspect something. She didn't care. She just swept it away and went to sleep.


End file.
